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FOCUS COLLEGE FOCUS 20 Is the SAT Useless? by Caitlin Shea, Smithfield, RI Fall is a busy and stressful time for many high school seniors as they complete their college applications – gathering transcripts, teacher recommendations, and lists of extracurricular activities and awards, and sending them to colleges all over the country. The most nerve-wracking time for many, though, is waiting for their scores from the SAT, a test that has a tremendous impact on which schools will accept them. SAT stands for Scholastic Aptitude Test. The majority of colleges require it as part of their admissions process. More than two million students each year take this three-hour standardized test, which supposedly measures verbal and mathematical reasoning. Although colleges look at applicants’ portfolios – including their GPA, class ranking, and special talents – SAT scores play a large role too. Many colleges will only accept students who attain a certain score for math and reading. I believe that SAT tests should not be the most important criteria for acceptance into a school. Studies have shown that females scored lower on the SAT than males, but overall women have better grades in high school and college. This shows that these tests do not necessarily predict success in college. Most professionals agree that SAT tests do have some validity, but there is much debate on whether scores should be the main factor colleges use to choose their freshmen. The SAT does not necessarily predict success in college Draw with Ink Used by Manga & Comic Artists Pigma Sensei — the ideal drawing set for art students to professionals. Start with Quality Pigma Ink: Rich black • Professional Grade • Archival Trusted by Manga and Comic Artists for 25+ years. Draw Whenever Creativity Sparks Easy-to-take-along set features pencil, eraser and Four Pigma ink pens in tip sizes from fi ne to bold. Manga Artists Share Drawing Tips www.MangaStart.com Sakura of America Creating quality tools to give you the Power to Express Pigma Sensei is Available Nationwide Find stores at www.sakuraofamerica.com/storelocator Teen Ink • APRIL ’09 • COLLEGE CONNECTION Another reason SAT tests are not a convincing predictor of academic success is that they are biased against minorities. The National Center for Fair and Open Testing, or Fair Test, believes that standardized tests like the SAT assume all test takers have backgrounds similar to white, middle-class students. This is certainly not the case. Fair Test seeks to eliminate the racial, class, gender, and cultural barriers to equal opportunity. When applying to the University of Texas, students in the top 10 percent of their class do not need to submit SAT scores. These applicants had higher college GPAs than those who were not in the top 10 percent but had SAT scores 200 to 300 points higher. This demonstrates that these scores do not necessarily predict students’ performance. My aunt received mediocre scores on her SAT tests. However, she graduated second in her class from Assumption College, went on to law school, and graduated in the top five of her class from Boston College. If the college had rejected her based on her SAT scores, they would have undoubtedly missed out on a superior student. Most successful students must work very hard in high school to earn the best grades they can. Students who get extra help, study, and try their best are the ones who tend to get good grades. Their work ethic determines how well they will do in the future. Therefore, a better way to predict students’ college performance is by looking at their previous achievements and grades. If colleges focus more on the accomplishments of the four years of high school rather than one test, they will more accurately determine how well students will perform in college. ✎ Colleges’ Top Selection Criteria Private Public 4-year 4-year institutions institutions Admissions test scores................................82% 70% Test of English as a Foreign Language.......79% 70% High-school record .....................................78% 79% High-school grades.....................................69% 66% College-preparatory program .....................48% 25% High-school class rank................................28% 20% Open admission ..........................................14% 14% Recommendations ........................................7% 51% Formal demonstration of competencies........5% 10% Number of institutions 595 1,243 SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education ®
Colleges With the Most Freshman Merit Scholars, 2007 Number Number sponsored by of scholars institution Harvard University ...........................................................285.......................0 University of Texas at Austin ...........................................283...................232 Northwestern University ..................................................249...................186 University of Southern California ....................................231...................195 Washington University in St. Louis..................................204...................154 University of Chicago.......................................................196...................156 Yale University .................................................................183.......................0 Princeton University.........................................................179.......................0 University of Oklahoma ...................................................175...................137 Texas A&M University.....................................................173...................134 Vanderbilt University........................................................172...................116 University of Florida ........................................................168...................132 University of North Carolina............................................166...................127 Stanford University ..........................................................164.......................0 New York University ........................................................159...................137 Rice University.................................................................159.....................95 Arizona State University ..................................................150...................127 MIT...................................................................................138.......................0 Ohio State University .......................................................118.....................93 University of Pennsylvania...............................................115.......................0 Georgia Institute of Technology.......................................100.....................73 University of Minnesota.....................................................96.....................73 Brigham Young University .................................................95.....................70 Duke University..................................................................90.......................0 Purdue University...............................................................87.....................66 Baylor University ...............................................................84.....................70 University of Illinois...........................................................84.....................56 Carleton College.................................................................83.....................64 Brown University ...............................................................80.......................0 SOURCE: Nation Merit Scholarship Corporation Proportion of College Students Enrolled at Public Institutions �� SOURCE: U.S. Dept. of Education, Fall 2006 85% and above 75% to 84% 65% to 74% 0% to 64% Average College Costs, 2007-8 4-year Public Colleges 4-year Private Colleges Resident Commuter Out of state Resident Commuter Tuition and fees $6,185 $6,185 $16,640 $23,712 $23,712 Books and supplies $988 $988 $988 $988 $988 Room and board $7,404 $7,419 $7,404 $8,595 $7,499 Transportation $911 $1,284 $911 $768 $1,138 Other $1,848 $2,138 $1,848 $1,311 $1,664 Total * $17,336 $18,014 $27,791 $35,374 $35,001 NOTE: These are enrollment-weighted averages. Weighted tuition and fees are derived by weighting the price charged by each institution in 2007-8 by the number of full-time undergraduates enrolled in 2006-7; room-and-board charges are weighted by the number of students residing on campus. Estimates of other budget items are based on reports of institutional financial-aid offices. * Average total expenses include room-and-board costs for commuter students, which are average estimated living expenses for students living off campus but not with parents. SOURCE: The College Board �� Shop at the Teen Ink Store! Designed by teens, made for you. Find the perfect gift or make a statement. The Teen Ink Store is your source for cool threads and tchotchkes featuring artwork by teens! www.TeenInk.com/store COLLEGE CONNECTION • APRIL ’09 • Teen Ink 21
Page 1 and 2: APRIL 2009 O U R 20 T H Y E A R T E
Page 3 and 4: A PRIL 2009 COVER FEATURES The Coll
Page 6 and 7: non•fic•tion 06 Boot Camp Adven
Page 8 and 9: non•fic•tion 08 School for the
Page 10 and 11: non•fic•tion 10 The Hospital Vi
Page 12 and 13: artgallery 12 Teen Ink • APRIL
Page 14 and 15: opin!on 14 Facebook Snoop by Kristi
Page 16 and 17: heroes 16 Grandmother Anna Purvianc
Page 18 and 19: FOCUS COLLEGE FOCUS 18 My Childhood
Page 22 and 23: FOCUS COLLEGE FOCUS 22 Parting Ways
Page 24 and 25: FOCUS COLLEGE FOCUS 24 How Public S
Page 26 and 27: college essays 26 Failing Successfu
Page 28 and 29: educatorof year the Kathy Nelson LA
Page 30 and 31: UA has a rich tradition of excellen
Page 32 and 33: Suffolk University, located in vibr
Page 34 and 35: Poetry 34 I Got the Joy! I got the
Page 36 and 37: you&your health 36 Pipe Dreams by D
Page 38 and 39: Travel&Culture 38 A Summer of Exces
Page 40 and 41: Video Game reviews Read more video
Page 42 and 43: Movie &TV reviews 42 DRAMA Revoluti
Page 44 and 45: fic•tion 44 Her, Him and the Rece
Page 46 and 47: fic•tion 46 Improvising by Onjuli

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